


The Ruined Tower

by Enochia



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Don't Have to Know Canon, Gen, Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-20
Updated: 2012-12-20
Packaged: 2017-11-21 17:42:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/600426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enochia/pseuds/Enochia





	The Ruined Tower

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Malkontent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malkontent/gifts).



"My son is missing."

The party nodded, waiting for the mayor of Warren's Green to go on. 

"He and his friends went into the woods four days ago. The people that were in Red Boar that night said they were in their cups and talked about the old ruined tower. Walton and Derrick - best hunters in village - searched the woods. They say they saw a crumbled building that might have been a tower once. See, we are sensible folk and all of us avoid that thing. It was there long before our ancestors first came here to settle. They say that Harold Crupton's - my great-great-great-grandfather's - trusty dog Thunder took one look at it and went mad. He tore through everyone in his way, running to the cliff and throwing himself into the stream. No one passes through that part of the forest anymore. Even hunters don't go stray near - they say all animals avoid it."

The leader of the band - a half-giantess who would have been handsome if not for the permanent frown - nodded and asked, "Is there anything else?"

"Not that I can remember. I'm sorry. We have no mage here, not even cantrip-for-farmwork level, and for cleric we go to Basket, which is ten miles north. No druid or ranger wanted to settle anywhere near the forest because of the tower."

The half-giantess nodded again. "Understood. But please understand there is no guarantee we will be able to find anything or even come back to report."

The mayor swallowed. "Yes."

"Good. Now for the fee," said the elf. Mayor forgot she was there - she stood just outside his of field of sight, dressed in drab clothes.

"Yes, I understand it's half forward..." said the mayor.

"Half forward of the price for the information, that is," said the obvious cleric of the group - a gnome woman with symbol of Fharlanghn around her neck.

The elf scowled, but didn't contradict her companion. "Yes, yes, half of that. Info is one hundred ducats, and it's the basic fee, even if it's merely 'we could find nothing'. Retrieval of proof of demise is plus one hundred. Retrieval of body - plus two hundreds. Retrieval of live person - plus three hundreds per head. Also some rations and lodgings for tonight."

“Lodgings? Can’t you…” said the mayor.

“We are sorry, mayor, but if there are such sinister powers at work there, it’s best that we tackle them during the light of the day,” said the gnome.

“Now, if there is nothing else,” said the half-giantess, “we’d like to talk to the hunters”.

“I already called them here. Go through the door to your left,” said the mayor.

The hunters stood up when four women entered the room. After a short exchange of pleasantries, the half-giantess asked about their findings.

“Well, we started off with following the tracks. It was pretty easy, them being drunk and not very sneaky. They wandered left and right until they reached the edge of the clearing. The dogs wouldn’t go further than that. We tied them there and went on until we saw the ruins and…well, we didn’t dare come closer,” said a balding man that introduced himself as Walton.

“I know we sound like cowards, but…you have to see it to understand it,” said Derrick, the younger of the pair.

The gnome woman said, “Of course. Now, tell us, how many were there?”

“With Billy – mayor’s son – five.”

“Could you guide us there?” asked the party leader.

“Er…now?” asked Warren.

“No. Tomorrow morning,” said the half-giantess.

The hunters agreed.

* * *

They were to stay at the local inn, with mayor covering the expenses. 

As soon as they were seated, Innkeeper’s daughter came with four pints of ale. The half-giantess smiled widely at her. “Thanks, sweetheart.” 

The girl blushed, bowed and scampered back into the kitchen.

The rest of the women shook their heads in exasperation.

“Oh, Roxie,” said the gnome.

“What? I just thanked her. You wouldn’t believe what I had to go through when I did that,” said the half-giantess.

The elf and gnome nodded sympathetically, but the dark-skinned woman rolled her eyes. She kept silent during the conversation with mayor and the hunters, but now she turned towards the gnome. "What do you think, Daisy?"

The cleric sighed. “I wish I could tell you something concrete, but it’s impossible. I don’t even know if we are dealing with undead or lower planes or something completely different.”

“Or simply a local superstition,” said the woman.

“That is a possibility,” said Daisy, “but I don’t think it's so.”

“Those hunters didn’t seem the sort. Neither did the mayor,” said the half-giantess.

The woman scoffed. “You give the simpletons too much credit.”

“Now, dear, is that any way to talk to your lawful wife?” asked the leader

Even after five years, the memory of that day was fresh in their minds.

* * *

__

_The trio was standing before the leader of a backwater village, waiting for their rightful reward._

_The leader squirmed. “Well, I intended to give the brave adventurers who liberate us from this terrible menace my daughter. But...”_

_“Oh, I’ll take her!” piped up the half-giantess._

_“Eh...I don’t think...” started the leader._

_“You intend to not pay us?” asked the rogue._

_“Er…” the leader trailed off. His three sons, standing behind him, looked nervous. After a few moments of silence, the youngest decided to explain:_

_“See, we figured…one of you…well…if there was a band of adventurers with…y’know…men…one of them could marry Mira and then have the home base here and…”_

_“…and fix any future problems with goblins because they tend to reappear,” finished the elf._

_“Yeah,” said the young man._

_“Well, it's a nice plan, but you’re out of luck,” said the elf._

_“We’ll have the lady, thank you,” said the half-giantess. "But we'll pass on the permanent dwelling."_

_“Very well,” said the village leader, “but she’s your only prize. I won’t pay a penny more.”_

_“No problem,” said the half-giantess, grinning._

_The bride-to-be was led towards them. She was dark-skinned with copper-coloured hair pulled up in a severe bun and she wore a bulky robe-like beige dress. The village leader opened his mouth, then closed it after a moment, shook his head and went away._

_The half-giantess grinned at the newcomer. “Well, the introductions are in order, I guess. This,” she pointed to the elf,” is Delia. Our 'expert', so to speak. Don't worry, she doesn't 'borrow' from party members without asking. This,” she gestured towards the gnome, “is Daisy, our cleric and the one that will marry us. And I'm your…er…bride. Name is Roxanne but you can call me ‘Roxie’ or ‘love’ or whatever cute pet name you come up with, dear. I inherited my Ma’s position as bar wench when she passed away, but flirtatious drunk men really did nothing for me, so I decided to skip town and do something with what’s been given to me,” she straightened up her impressive frame and patted the handle of the waraxe slung across her back._

_Mira looked into her eyes. It was only Roxanne’s inborn ability that prevented her mind from being ripped apart._

_“Whoa, sweetling, easy there,” said Roxanne, blinking._

_Daisy, reading results from the quick-cast scrying spell, nodded sagely. “Ah. A wilder.”_

_Delia, who already managed to get behind Mira, relaxed a little. “So that’s why they were so eager to get rid of you.”_

_Mira’s lips tightened, but she nodded._

_Roxanne patted Mira’s shoulder. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that, sweetheart. We’re very open-minded here.”_

_Mira glanced at her, looking uncomfortable._

_“I presume we’ll be heading to Ialdabode next," said Delia, pulling out a few maps out of her satchel._

_“A psion whom we consulted once before,” said Daisy for Mira’s benefit._

_“Yeah,” said Roxanne, “we need to work on that brain of yours first, dear, before we take you to the road.”_

* * *

Mira shook off the memory. “Anyway, you’re not my lawful wife. No ceremony has ever taken place.”

“That’s because the traitor there refuses to do anything,” cried Roxanne, pointing her finger at the cleric.

“Fharlanghn frowns upon using force on unwilling,” said Daisy.

“I mean, I could understand if you don’t swing that way, dear, but you don’t swing _any_ way. That paladin nearly tripped over his feet, and you didn’t even look at him!” said Roxanne.

Mira sniffed.

”Anyway,” asked Delia, “can’t you scry the forest?”

“I’m not sure if I dare agitate whatever is in there,” said Daisy. “If the story about the dog is true, it could be very powerful. The fact that rangers or druids refused to take it on and save the forest is even more troubling.”

They spoke little after that.

* * *

Tomorrow morning, the hunters led them to the clearing. The party thanked them, but didn’t ask them to join. They didn’t offer.

Huge, jagged pieces of stone were strewn around the clearing. They seemed to have been torn off; it was as if though the tower had been made out of one large rock, and something ripped it apart. Only the first storey survived mostly intact; from the half of the second and upwards, large holes exposed the barren interior. The base of the ruined tower was an octagon. One couldn’t say how high it used to be; there was no roof. Ruined walls stopped just under the treeline, and no windows were visible.  
Delia knelt down; the still visible tracks were leading into the tower, straight through the heavy front door.  
The door moved surprisingly easily after a little push from Roxanne, opening into a narrow corridor.

The inside of the tower was completely dark. The torchlight revealed no decorations on the floor or the walls, which seemed to have been from the same seamless stone the exterior was made of. There didn’t seem to even be any break between the wall and the floor. After careful progress, they emerged into a small round chamber. It was just as barren as the corridor, save for eight doorways that were but holes in the unbroken stone. It was bathed in red light that seemed to emerge from the ceiling, though there was no visible source. 

“Odd,” muttered Delia.

Mira turned her head towards the elf. “What is?”

“No mould,” said Delia.

Mira frowned. “Come to think of it, there was no moss on the stones outside.” 

Delia focused again on her job – checking for traps – and noticed a wineskin lying near the edge of two doorways to the left of the one they were facing. With no other clue available, they went through it.

Unlike the first corridor, this one was full of sharp turns. Still, there were no decorations, no doors and no. The only thing that stood out was a pile of vomit they ran into at one of many turns. “And it isn’t dry yet,” said Delia. The others had nothing to say to that. The only sound was the one of their footsteps. The hollow corridor seemed to stretch on forever. It finally led them to a large octagonal chamber. The lighting in this one was purple, and its walls were decorated with complex arrays of geometrical shapes in various colours. Unlike the rest of the tower, walls here were made of multitude of stones, perfectly square-shaped and lined up. There was no visible door leading out except the one they entered from. Daisy worried her lip, trying to decipher why the drawings filled her with so much unease. Mira pulled out a pen and leather-bound journal and began to copy them down. Roxanne stood alert near them. Delia walked carefully from one wall to another. “It’s not any sort of magic I ever heard of,” muttered Daisy. “It doesn’t feel like a ward. Or summoning array. But it’s not a mere drawing.” Her musings were interrupted by Delia. She found a single stone whose edges did not fit in perfectly like the others. After a nod from Roxanne, she pushed the stone and rolled to the back and sideways in case something unpleasant emerges. 

The wall rose up, revealing a descending spiral staircase.

A splatter of blood marred the first step.

They went down.

* * *

They found the first body as soon as they finished their descent; the staircase went through a hole in the ceiling into another round chamber. The body was suspended upside-down by one leg, the other bent and tied to it, hands bound behind the back. The man’s throat was slit. The blood that was pooled on the floor underneath still looked fresh. His eye sockets were empty.

“Well, at least he’s still recognisable,” said Delia and pulled out a bag of holding. She turned to Mira. “Can you do something about that?” She pointed to the chain the man was hanging from.

Mira focused on the manacle; she moved it with her will and it opened, body falling down into the pool of its own blood. 

Delia merely took the head and started pushing it in.

The others averted their eyes; they accepted their friend’s ruthlessness long ago, but sometimes it was too difficult to watch it at work. Delia didn’t mind; she understood that disliking some of her actions didn’t mean they disliked her. If she ever felt shunned or kept around just because they need a rogue, she would have been gone instantly. She did solo before and was perfectly fine. She hung around for the company – and a little bit of backup didn’t hurt.

After the body was packed, the group continued through the only visible doorway. The corridor now was lit by a green light that seemed to radiate from the seamless walls. 

The next room provided an even less pleasant sight: charred body on a spit that spun over the fire that came from an octagonal opening on the floor. The only recognisable thing on the corpse was a ring, gleaming in the firelight.

They couldn’t figure out what was moving the spit or how to stop it. In the end, Delia managed to remove the ring with a long, thin hook she usually used to manipulate traps from a distance. Unable to do anything more, Daisy uttered a prayer while Mira destroyed the corpse. The spit kept on spinning.

Past another green corridor, the following room provided the first encounter with the living beings: a pair of succubi giggling and poking at the corpse of the third man, naked and strapped to a table.

“Aw, damnation,” said one when she spotted the four.

“Of all the times It chooses to be absent,” said the other.

“I don’t wanna fight stupid adventurers,” said the first.

“But I want to face Its wrath even less,” said the second.

The succubi tried charms first, but failed against both Delia’s and Roxanne’s hereditary resistance and Daisy’s and Mira’s mental shields. Failing to enchant and with no opportunity for sneak attack, they shrieked and attacked the four directly. 

Daisy finished blessing Roxanne’s battleaxe just as the first succubus reached her. The weapon bit into the succubus’ arm, the demon hissing and pulling back. 

The second one was struck by a ray of energy from Mira. This stopped the creature long enough for Daisy to reach her, swinging her mace. 

Delia switched to Roxanne’s support, carefully aiming magical acid darts at the succubus’ back. 

The other succubus swiped her claws at Mira’s face. The wilder, ignoring the sting, jumped a step forward in time, stabbing the unprepared succubus just under the ribs with her short spear. Daisy followed with a hit at the base of creature’s spine. The succubus fell to her knees. Another energy attack and a few more hits finished the creature off. With all four focusing on her, the remaining one didn’t last long either.

Daisy examined the body on the table. “There are no visible wounds. They must have drained him to death.”

Delia produced another bag of holding.

“Can’t you at least wrap him in something?” asked Daisy.

Delia sighed and rummaged around her magical pouches until she found a large ratty brown cloth she used for camouflage occasionally. She wrapped it around the corpse’s waist and then pushed it into the bag.

The next door led directly into another room. It was full of slimy dark purple creatures with luminescent green eyes. Their bodies resembled blobs and they had no visible extremities. 

They swarmed and advanced on Roxanne, who shifted to the front. She hit half a dozen with her first strike; they dissolved into purple goo that slowly vanished piece by piece. They didn’t resist, dodge or counterattack, just pressed on, new taking place of the ones who fell. Even with all four attacking, it took a long time before the number of strange creatures thinned. 

When most of the creatures were exterminated, they finally managed to take a better look at the room. In the centre was the naked, empty husk of the fourth man, more of the creatures emerging from all of the orifices.

A fire missile from the wand took care of it. When the last blob was dead, they sat on the floor to catch their breath and took a look around. These walls were decorated with carving of geometrical patterns not unlike the one in the room of the first floor, only the patterns here included spirals as well. 

Mira tried to copy them, but looking at the patterns made her feel nauseous after a while. She crossed out the part she drew already and snapped the journal shut.

Delia spotted a dagger in the corner of the room and picked it up, hoping that it would be a good enough proof.

They were exhausted, but didn’t dare linger for long in the tower. They proceeded through the next door.

The fifth man, still alive, was in a cage that was hanging from the ceiling.

Roxanne tried calling to him, but he didn’t respond, even though he was obviously awake.

“He speaks in gibberish,” said Delia. “It doesn’t sound close to any language I’ve ever heard, and I’ve heard a lot.”

Daisy’s spell detected no physical harm.

“He’s mad,” said Mira.

“Not really surprising,” said Delia.

“Great," said Roxanne. "How do we get him down?"

"Don't look at me. I am at the end of my reserves," said Mira.

"I still have a calming spell," said Daisy. "Delia, I think you can reach the lock if you stand on Roxie's shoulders."

Delia nodded and prepared her set of picks. Roxanne lifted her easily, then carefully maneuvered them until they were near the cage door.

Delia found the lock surprisingly easy to open. Getting the man outside was another problem alltogether. She had to climb into the cage and carefully push him towards the edge and over into Roxanne's waiting arms. 

"Wait," said Mira as Roxanne was about to sling him over her shoulder. She help up rope. "I think we should tie him just in case."

Roxanne lowered the man, allowing Mira to do so. Daisy used the opportunity to examine him again, but she could find no trace of spell, curse, touch of Negative Plane or physical injury.

"We should be getting out of here soon," said Delia.

Their retreat was swift and without interruptions. 

* * *

When they exited the tower, the night was falling. They rushed as fast as possible to put the tower behind them.

They were met halfway by a group of townspeople. They recognised the man they rescued as Billy, the mayor's son. Roxanne handed him him over, but warned them that he's not in his right mind. The men untied him nevertheless, not wanting to present him to his father bound. Thankfully, he was calm the rest of the way back.

* * *

The fee was paid in full, and grateful mayor added an old set of masterwork silverware on the top of it. But the four still felt dissatisfied.

"I mean, I know damn well we probably couldn't have handled whatever "It" is, but..." said Roxanne.

Delia nodded. "We should have been able to at least gather some more information."

Daisy pursed her lips. "I agree. Still, at least we saved one."

"Did we?" asked Mira. 

Mayor's son showed no signs of improvement. He was still babbling in gibberish, occasionally falling into fits of screaming and clawing on his skin. Both Daisy with restored reserves and cleric from Basket that arrived the day after they exited the tower were at a complete loss. 

"In any case," said Daisy, "we need to speak with someone who is better qualified to look into this."

The rest of the party nodded in agreement and set out for the city.


End file.
